The right decision confirmed..

[napoleondynamite]

---

Members do not see this ad.

It's 3:30 in the morning of my very first call night on the wards of intern year and this is the first minute's rest I have had..now struggling with the thought of going to sleep for an hour and half, or just plow through 😱 Holy crap does this suck. I thought I knew how bad it would suck..but I mean, it SUCKS. My pager has just never stopped going off, I am spread totally thin and making important decisions on limited experience and information with a senior who 😴 just assumes I fly solo. I am dead dog-tired and just don't even know how I will sound coherent in the morning..all I can think about is getting the hell out of here and going home to my real life..I mean, part of the day was a lot of fun, but the novelty kind of wears off after awhile, you know?

Anyway, I pity the poor suckers who have to do this for the rest of their lives. I function much better during daylight hours and a little time here and there to think about things.. I'm just relishing that feeling finally of KNOWING I made the right decision! 11 more months baby...!

 

[clintpark]

Try not to fall asleep standing up while your co-intern is presenting. Also, if you are not a native English speaker, make sure your presentation is in English. Those can be embarrassing.

Enjoy!

... and seriously, be careful driving home.

 

[clintpark]

I totally agree with Reaganite on this one. I was also fortunate enough to match into a cush TY year and am LOVING it.

I thought you had found a cushy TY program and were loving it. Spoke too soon?

 

[napoleondynamite]

I guess "cush" is a relative term! But I have discovered that 4 months of hell is still hell when you're on call..I'm just glad I don't have 10 months!!

 

[Reaganite]

I guess "cush" is a relative term! But I have discovered that 4 months of hell is still hell when you're on call..I'm just glad I don't have 10 months!!

If it makes you feel any better, I was on "call" last night, but didn't get a single page! Ah, the joys of a full hospital and 4 interns on a service with 8 total patients. Seriously, it'll make you stronger. I just finished a required surgery rotation where I averaged about 90 hrs a week, and now that I'm only working like 50, it feels like heaven.

 

[Cirrus83]

Just be careful driving! Or rather, take a cab or a bus home or something, because it's seriously not worth the risk. Falling asleep for even a tiny moment might result in you getting lucky and just tapping the car in front of you and leaving a little mark on the bumper, or it might result in you colliding head-on with someone else who's also half asleep-killing yourself and everyone in the other car too (happened to my high school classmate during college 🙁 ).

If you really have no choice but to drive (I dunno where you're doing your intern year but if it's kinda in the middle of nowhere I guess you're kinda stuck) I'd take that hour and a half nap and grab a coffee or something and just be really really really careful. I know it might sound like I'm super paranoid but it's seriously insanely dangerous to drive with no sleep.

 

[CNphair]

The thought that "I only have to do this for one year and then never again" was the only thing that kept me from tears on many a bad call night. And sometimes that didn't even work.

I was q4/q5 for almost an entire year. Cherish your TY. Cherish it every single day.

What did my internship teach me...? That my true "backup" for radiation oncology was interior decorating.

 

[Bruce Banner]

It's 3:30 in the morning of my very first call night on the wards of intern year and this is the first minute's rest I have had..now struggling with the thought of going to sleep for an hour and half, or just plow through 😱 Holy crap does this suck. I thought I knew how bad it would suck..but I mean, it SUCKS. My pager has just never stopped going off, I am spread totally thin and making important decisions on limited experience and information with a senior who 😴 just assumes I fly solo. I am dead dog-tired and just don't even know how I will sound coherent in the morning..all I can think about is getting the hell out of here and going home to my real life..I mean, part of the day was a lot of fun, but the novelty kind of wears off after awhile, you know?

Anyway, I pity the poor suckers who have to do this for the rest of their lives. I function much better during daylight hours and a little time here and there to think about things.. I'm just relishing that feeling finally of KNOWING I made the right decision! 11 more months baby...!

I know just what you mean napoleon. tonight I'm finishing my 11th straight q3 call for the MICU. this sucks, and I can't wait to go home. I find myself daydreaming all day (and even during rounds) about how much better RadOnc residency will be. thank you everyone who writes on this forum. I savor every post. it helps me forget all this ventilator and antibiotic crap and remember my passion I discovered during 4th year for Rad Onc.

And as for prelim vs. TY, I'm at a prelim year with night float so everything should be down hill from here (Thank God).

 

[stephew]

anytime you have a bad day/night remember: its worse for the patient. sounds silly but really, it gets you through.